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January 9, 1994
Dialog Design
A Dialogbox Design Program for Turbo Vision
Version 4.1
(C) Copyright 1990-4 by L. David Baldwin.
All Rights Reserved.
Further copyright information given below.
OVERVIEW
Dialog Design takes some of the pain out of designing dialog boxes for
Borland's Turbo Vision package. With Dialog Design, dialog controls can be
easily added, edited, rearranged, and the dialog itself sized, moved, etc.
Once the design is satisfactory, Dialog Design can produce source code to
be included in your program or a resource file for use by your program.
Both the Pascal and C++ languages are supported.
REQUIREMENTS
Borland (R) Pascal version 7.0 (Turbo Vision 2.0)
and/or
Borland C++ version 3.1 (Turbo Vision 1.0)
(Dialog Design version 2.x supports Turbo Pascal 6.0)
Some familiarity with the Turbo Vision package
VGA Monitor
A mouse is desirable
GETTING STARTED
Dialog Design uses a number of external conversion programs to generate
source code and resources for the two languages supported. If you have
downloaded this package, the executables of the conversion programs may not
have been included to save download time. If not, you will first have to
compile and link the source before you can do anything meaningful. See the
accompanying READ.ME file for information on how to do this.
When first starting Dialog Design, a Configuration Information dialog will
come up. Enter your preliminary configuration here, in particular the
language you will be using. The default names for the conversion files
will already be listed but you should probably add the complete path to
these names unless they will always be in the default directory.
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On leaving the this dialog, you will be given the opportunity to save the
configuration. Once saved, you won't have to fill it out each time you
start the program. However, you can change the configuration at any time
using the Options/Configuration menu selection.
A NOTE TO C++ USERS
C++ currently only supports Turbo Vision 1.0. Many of the entry dialogs in
Dialog Design show Turbo Vision 2.0 options. However, in C++ mode, these
options will be grayed or otherwise made inaccessible.
DESIGNING A DIALOG BOX
Dialog Design has three modes of operation:
Design Mode
Dialog Design begins in design mode and this is the mode that you use for
all layout work and editing. In design mode, the dialog doesn't look or
act quite like it will in the final design. Here's some of the
differences:
A 'canvas' background is used to better delineate the actual space
occupied by each control.
Controls are colored red when selected.
Multiple controls may be selected.
All controls may be selected even those not normally selectable.
Try Mode
Try mode is entered using the F9 key. In try mode, the dialog behaves as
it's supposed to. You can check the Tab order, make temporary entries,
and push buttons to actually check how things will work. Exit try mode
with the escape key or click on the close box.
Ordering Mode
Ordering mode allows you to change the Tab order of your dialog controls.
The method for doing this is discussed further below. The F8 key toggles
you into and out of ordering mode.
While there is no fixed way to design a dialog, here's one suggested
sequence:
1.In design mode, work with the dialogbox large enough so that you won't be
crowded.
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2.From the Add menu, select a control to add. This will bring up a dialog
where you can enter the necessary information. Use the online help (F1
key) if you have a question as to what goes in a particular field. When
the OK button is pushed, the control will appear in the lower right corner
of the design box. The control is then positioned by dragging it with the
mouse, or by using the arrow keys (Shift+arrow moves a little faster).
Work in the upper left corner of the box.
A faster way to add controls is to use the Toolbox. See Toolbox below
for more details.
3.Continue adding controls as desired. At any time, controls can be
repositioned or sized with the mouse (further details below). If
something other than position or size needs changing, select the control
and from the Edit menu choose Edit Selected (or use F7). This will bring
up its dialogbox for changes.
4.When all the controls have been added and positioned, size the box to fit
and move it to the desired location on the desktop. Be sure and add a
title (Edit Dialog from the Edit menu).
5.Enter Try Mode with the F9 key and test the dialog. Be sure to check how
the controls sequence using the Tab key. Exit Try mode with Esc or click
on the close box.
6.If the Tab sequence needs changing, use F8 to enter ordering mode. With
the mouse, click on each control to establish the desired order. Exit
back to design mode with F8.
Changing the sequence without a mouse is a little more complicated. Use
the Tab key to select (highlight) the next control to be sequenced. Then
press the Enter key to enter the selected control into the sequence.
After all controls have been entered, exit back to design mode with F8.
Some controls (such as Static Text, and Labels) don't enter into the
tab sequence of a dialogbox. You can order these if it's convenient, but
the order won't effect the final results.
Be sure to recheck the tab order in Try mode.
7.This is a good time to save your work. Choose Save or Save As from the
File menu to create or update a .DLG file. Any file with the same name
will be renamed with a .BKP extension.
8.You can preview the source code to be generated by choosing one of the
Write Source selections from the Operations menu, and then choosing the
Screen button. The code will appear in a viewer window.
9.To create source code for your dialogbox, choose one of the Write Source
selections from the Operations menu and then choose the File button. See
the section below on Conversion Programs for a discussion of the source
code generated.
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10.To generate a resource file or add the new dialogbox to an existing
resource or EXE file, choose Write Resource from the Operation menu.
Both a filename and a resource ID name will be requested. If the file
already exists, it will be renamed with a .BKP extension. If the
existing file is a resource or EXE file, it will be copied, and the new
resource added to the copy. Any existing resource with the same ID will
be deleted. Note that the resource ID name is case sensitive.
SELECTING, CLICKING, DRAGGING, SIZING, ETC.
To select a control, click and release on it with the left button or use the
Tab key.
To select multiple controls, select the first, then hold down the shift key
while clicking on the others. Note that, in this mode, clicking toggles
selection on and off so it's possible to deselect as well as select.
You can also select a block of controls by using the mouse to define an
enclosing rectangle. Position the mouse to one corner of the desired
rectangle (the start position must not be on a control). Hold the left
button down and drag to the opposite corner of the rectangle before
releasing the button. During the drag operation, a shaded area will show
the rectangle. Those controls completely enclosed by the rectangle
will be selected. If the shift key is held down during this operation, any
previously selected controls will remain selected.
To select all controls, use the F4 key.
To move controls, select the controls to be moved, then click on any one of
them and, without releasing the button, drag the group to the desired
position. The group may also be moved using the arrow keys.
To resize a control, first select it then click and drag on its lower right
corner. Note that some controls only size in one dimension and all have a
minimum size.
To edit a control, click it with the right button. Or select it with the
Tab key and press F7. Either way brings up the control's Add/Edit dialog.
To edit the dialog itself, click on the caption line with the right button.
Or use the the Edit/Dialog menu selection.
TOOLBOX
The toolbox provides a quick method for adding controls to the dialogbox.
If the toolbox isn't visible, toggle it on with Ctrl-F6. The toolbox may
be repositioned by dragging its caption bar.
To add a control using the toolbox, click and release on the appropriate
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icon with the left button. The control will pop off the toolbox and follow
the mouse. When you reach the desired location, click once more to drop
the control. At this point, the mouse will be properly positioned to size
the control.
If you pick up a control from the toolbox and then decide not to use it,
drop it outside of the dialog or move the mouse off screen.
From top to bottom, left to right, the control icons are:
TInputLine TStaticText
TInputLong TButton
TCheckbox TListBox
TRadioButton TScrollbar (Vertical)
TMemo TScrollbar (Horizontal)
TLabel and TMultiCheckBox have no representation in the toolbox.
Once you've added controls from the toolbox, you'll need to edit them to
supply further information.
SOME DETAILS
Command Line
The command line used to load Dialog Design is:
DLGDSN [<dialog filename>]
The optional dialog filename specifies the name of a design file to be
loaded. If no extension is given, '.DLG' is assumed.
Duplicating Controls
Sometimes it is desirable to make a series of similar controls as might be
found in a column of TInputLines, for instance.
Controls may be duplicated by holding down the control key and left
clicking with the mouse. A copy of the control will appear directly below
the copied control.
You can also duplicate a control by selecting it and using the Edit|Copy
Control menu command.
@ Operator for Text Entry
The '@' operator may be used almost anywhere text input is required to
indicate a variable reference is desired rather than a quoted string. To
indicate a variable reference, just enter '@' as the first character
following it with the variable name.
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As an example, suppose (for a TStaticText entry) you enter 'This is a line
of text.' Dialog Design will generate code which looks like:
Control := New(PStaticText,
Init(R, 'This is a line of text.')); {for Pascal}
control = new TStaticText(TRect(8, 3, 25, 4),
"This is a line of text."); //for C++
But if you enter '@theText', you'll get code which looks like:
Control := New(PStaticText,
Init(R, theText)); {for Pascal}
control = new TStaticText(
TRect(8, 5, 23, 6), theText); //for C++
where 'theText' presumably refers to a string defined elsewhere.
Options Button
Most of the Add/Edit dialogs have an Options button. This button brings up
another dialog which will let you change the default ofXXXX and evXXXX flag
and mask bits. In most cases, you'll want to stick with the defaults but
some bits do have interesting uses. In particular, the ofFramed bit can be
used for framing controls. Also, with a little effort, you can frame
groups of controls or divide the dialog into panes. The context sensitive
help (F1) for the options dialog has some hints on this.
Extras Button
Many of the Add/Edit dialogs also have an Extras button. This button
brings up a dialog where you can add parameters or other information about
non-standard controls (controls that you have derived). This information
is only of use if you are customizing your own conversion programs.
Help Context
Many of the Add/Edit dialogs have fields labeled Help Context and Value.
By default, these contain hcNoContext and 0. Dialog Design uses the help
context symbol when generating source code and the value when producing a
resource.
For small projects, it may be convenient just to enter this information by
hand. However, if you're using Borland's demo help compiler, TVHC, Dialog
Design can work with the help definition file it produces. To do this,
choose Load Help Ctx file from the Options menu and supply the filename of
the help definition file. Then clicking on the '*' box next to the help
context field (or typing '*' in the field) will bring up a pick list of the
definitions from which to choose.
You can also automatically load your help definition file at startup by
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entering the information in the Configuration dialog (Options/Configuration
on the menu).
During the various iterations of writing a help file, the numerical values
associated with the help symbols are often changed. However, once a help
context symbol has been entered for a control, Dialog Design will keep its
associated help value current. Updating occurs whenever:
A .DLG file is already loaded and a help context file is loaded
or
A help context file has been loaded and a new .DLG file is loaded.
Reading Pascal TDialog Resources (Operations/Load Pascal Resource File)
You can read Pascal (not C++, unfortunately) TDialog resources from
compatible resource files generated by Dialog Design or other design
programs such as Blaise' Turbo Vision Development Toolkit(tm). You'll be
asked for the resource filename and then given a list of resource ID's from
which to choose.
Dialog Design will read only TDialog resources with controls that it
supports. In the read process, the following conversions are made:
TListViewer to TListBox
TParamText to TStaticText
TView to TStaticText (with no text)
Note: You should always save your design in .DLG files. Storing them as
resources and reading them as resources will result in loss of information.
CONVERSION PROGRAMS AND SOURCE CODE
In this version of Dialog Design, all source code and resource generation
is done by external conversion programs. When you select one of the source
code options from the menu, the following process occurs:
1. A temporary ASCII script file is written to disk.
2. The appropriate conversion program is called with parameters telling
it the script filename, the output filename, and an error filename.
3. The conversion program produces the desired conversion from script
file to source code (or resource), or possibly returns error messages.
4. Dialog Design displays any error messages and deletes the temporary
files.
The above process is largely transparent to the user but because it uses
external programs, it allows for user customization of these programs.
(Customization is covered in separate documentation.)
Here's a summary of the conversion programs supplied with Dialog Design:
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PasSrc1, CppSrc1
The source output for these two programs is similar (except for the
language, of course) and closely resembles the source generated by
previous versions of Dialog Design. Source is in the form of a function
(MakeDialog/makeDialog) which defines the dialog and returns a pointer to
it. A data record/structure is also defined to assist in transferring
data into and out of the dialog. The generated source code may be
included in the files TestCase.Pas/TestCase.Cpp (at the line of
asterisks) to form a test program for the dialog.
PasSrc2
Output from PasSrc2 is in the form of a Pascal unit with the dialog
object being defined in the Interface section and the actual dialog
construction done in the dialog's constructor. This form is probably
more suitable for dialogs which require overridden methods such as
HandleEvent. PasSrc2 uses an auxiliary (ASCII) file, Skel.Dat, to layout
the unit structure. When using PasSrc2, you should change the default
PDialog pointer name as you're really defining a TDialog descendent.
CppSrc2
CppSrc2 produces a module and header file for a TDialog descendent with
the dialog construction done in the constructor. This form is probably
more suitable for dialogs which require overridden methods such as
handleEvent. CppSrc2 uses an auxiliary (ASCII) file, CppSkel.Dat, to
layout the file structure. Be sure and change the dialog's class name
from TDialog to something appropriate for your new class.
The file generated by CppSrc2 contains a line "cut here" where it can be
divided to form a .h and a .cpp file.
PasRsrc, CppRsrc
These files generate Pascal and C++ TDialog resources. Resources can be
added to an existing resource or EXE file, or a new resource file
started. You will be asked to enter a resource ID string (case sensitive
and must not contain spaces). Any existing resource or EXE file will be
renamed with a .BKP extension, copied, and the resource added to the
copy. If the ID corresponds to an existing resource, that resource will
be deleted.
User
A Space where you may include your own program.
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COPYRIGHT AND REGISTRATION
Documentation and Program (C) Copyright 1990-4 by L. David Baldwin.
All Rights Reserved.
Dialog Design may be copied and distributed freely (including uploading it
to bulletin boards), providing:
1. No fee is charged and it is not part of a package for which a charge
is made.
2. The package is not modified in any way.
If you do upload this package to a bulletin board, I'd appreciate it if
you would make an attempt to keep the upload current.
If you use Dialog Design professionally (to assist in program creation for
your employer or for sale) please send $30 along with your registration to
the appropriate address listed below. Registration entitles you to a free
update to the most recent version or an update to the next release. No
usage fee is required for hobbyists, students, beginners, occasional users,
etc.
Please report any problems, suggestions, etc. Contact me on Compuserve or
Internet (the best way) or at one of the addresses below.
Dave Baldwin
CompuServe ID #76327,53.
Internet address: 76327.53@compuserve.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Help file modifications from Peter Brandstrom's TVTOYS.ZIP.
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REGISTRATION
Name: __________________________________________________________
Telephone: ________________________CompuServe ID:_______________
Address: _______________________________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________________
City: __________________________________________________________
State/Country:______________________ Postal Code: ______________
Present Dialog Design Version:___________Pascal/C++:____________
Bugs, Problems, Comments: ____________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Professional users: Please send along with $30 to:
David Baldwin,
22 Fox Den Rd.,
Hollis, NH 03049 (Approx May 15 to Oct 15)
(603) 465-7857
David Baldwin,
144 13th St. East,
Tierra Verde, FL 33715 (Approx Oct 15 to May 15)
(813) 867-3030
Since mail is forwarded, either address may be used.
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